See You
by Amegwee
Summary: The first time she saw Killian Jones, she was running late, and he was with another woman. A Modern College AU.
1. Chapter One

The first time she saw Killian Jones, she was running late.

As Emma slipped out of her dorm, she sent a quick text to Mary Margaret as she slid her keys into her backpack.

 _I know, I'm late, I'm sorry. Meet me in the caf in 10?_

After hitting send, Emma looked up and realized the hallway was not as empty as she originally thought. Two people were in an obviously heated discussion, pressed up against the wall, completely oblivious to the fact they had an audience.

"I don't understand why you're so annoyed, Killian," the girl was saying softly, but obviously agitated. "I gave up a lot for you. I'm not asking for much in return."

The man had his back to Emma, but she could see him shift as he sighed, running his hand through his hair before saying in a low voice, "I don't think I deserve the lack of trust you've shown in me since the semester started. Why did you-" he started, but was quickly shushed by the girl when she noticed Emma coming down the hall.

Feeling very uncomfortable, Emma tried to quickly but quietly make her way towards the stairs. As she passed the couple, the girl glanced up at her and tried to smile, even though it looked more like a grimace. Emma nodded in acknowledgement, and looked over her shoulder to glance at the man as she passed him, preparing herself to try and act like this was not incredibly awkward. They made quick eye contact and Emma was immediately floored by how handsome he was. He nodded at her and also attempted a smile, slightly more genuine than the girl's, and raised his hand in greeting. Quirking up the corner of her mouth, she looked ahead and shoved the door to the stairs open, hiking up her bag and plunging down the steps, away from whatever was happening outside room 227.

Emma practically ran to the cafeteria and threw her bag on the dinner table, startling Mary Margaret out of her studying. She blinked up at Emma in surprise.

"You okay?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Yeah," Emma deflected, "Just hungry. And late. Sorry."

"Not a problem," Mary Margaret shook her head, easily letting Emma off the hook. Pulling her pass out, she followed Emma towards the hot line. "Just catching up on some reading for tomorrow."

Emma sighed, and started piling her plate with chicken fingers. "I need to catch up, too. If we have a quiz in Ethics tomorrow, I'm screwed," she said, and fell into an easy conversation with her friend as they filled their plates and ate dinner together, distracting Emma from the awkward encounter with the gorgeous man and his… whatever… in the hallway.

 _Hopefully not girlfriend_.

But Emma definitely didn't acknowledge that thought.

The second time she saw Killian Jones, she had actually managed to momentarily forget about him. But as she made her way back to her dorm later that night after studying with Mary Margaret and Ruby, she passed him by as he was leaving her dorm building. His obvious sex hair mocked her as he walked down the sidewalk, totally oblivious as he checked his phone.

"Oh, sorry, love," he muttered when he accidentally bumped into her.

"Yeah, just watch where you're going," Emma said. The end of her sentence softened as they made eye contact, and his mouth quirked up in a sardonic smirk.

"My apologies. Next time I'll be on my best behavior around the lady," he quipped, and made a mock bow. Emma quirked her eyebrow.

"Next time?" she asked.

"Of course. We've met twice in an evening. We're fated to see each other again, Miss…" he trailed off, clearly wanting her to supply him with a name.

Emma paused, debating if she would tell him. "Emma," she finally said, and he smiled at her.

"Emma. Pleasure to formally meet you. My name is Killian Jones." He walked away backwards, giving her a slight salute before spinning around and continuing his way towards the parking lot.

The third time she saw Killian Jones, he was fighting with his girlfriend outside 227 again.


	2. Chapter 2

The thing you should know about Emma Swan was she did not take the time to have useless relationships.

Growing up in a foster system that always seemed to forget about her, she was never able to make _real_ friendships growing up. Either she didn't stay in a place long enough, or was ultimately disappointed by the people forced into her life. Useless.

She stayed in her last foster home the longest. Finishing her last two high school years outside Boston, she finally had the chance to get a part time job to save up for college. She would file and do clerical work at a local car shop after school every day.

The first time she saw Neal Cassidy, she was working at the shop. She was answering the phones at reception, and he came in to get the oil changed on his vintage yellow VW Bug. Emma kept a cool demeanor as he filled out his forms at the desk. He thought she was beautiful, and rose to the challenge, flirting with her and charming her into letting him know that her name was Emma, she was a senior in high school, and no, she didn't have plans Friday night.

They didn't date for very long before Emma realized she liked Neal. He was fun and full of life, an escape from her home life and school and work and college applications. He had graduated two years before, but never went to college, entering straight into the workforce by getting a job in a local jeweler's.

For their dates, they would go to gas stations and he would buy her the cheap hot chocolate that was actually _so_ good. She would add cinnamon and he would tease her about it and she would playfully smack at him, even though she liked it because he made her laugh and laugh and laugh.

Neal was very good at distracting her from her homework. It never seemed to cramp his style when he would hang out at the shop with her as she worked on her Calculus in between answering phones. One day in early December, he was fingering the key chain display they had next to the register.

"Hey, look," he said, pulling a chain off the rack, "A swan." Emma smirked at him over her textbook.

"Is that gonna be my Christmas gift this year? A keychain with my name symbolized on it?" she teased as she took a sip from her water bottle. Neal chuckled.

"I'm going to do a little better than that, give me some credit," he said smugly.

Later that month, he gave her a beautiful gold watch for Christmas. He tied the swan keychain to the bow wrapped around the gift box.

"So you would know who the gift was for," he smiled as she fingered it, and she smiled back and kissed him next to the Christmas tree in the shopping center square.

It worried her when Neal didn't reply to her texts a couple days after Christmas. It worried her more when he never showed up for the New Year's Eve date they had planned. What worried her the most were the cops that came to ask her what she knew about Neal a week after New Year's. Apparently, Neal had lifted a case of watches from the jeweler's he had been working at and taken off.

Emma wondered if he went to Canada. She hoped it was cold. She hoped he was so cold that his fingers would freeze off so he would never steal again.

The police took Emma's statement and her gold watch as evidence, but mercifully left her alone after that. She stayed home from school the next day to cry and eat her weight in onion rings, before throwing them all up in the toilet because that was a terrible, terrible idea. After a weekend of not showering, listening to "Boston" on repeat and scaring her foster parents, she emerged Monday morning with a clear face, clean hair, and a determination to graduate and live her life. If she never saw Neal Cassidy again, it would be too soon. He made her feel like an idiot, and Emma hated that feeling.

With that debacle happening to her so soon before she left for college, you would think Emma wouldn't make time for any friends. She obviously didn't _need_ friends to get by in life.

But the first time she saw Ruby Lucas, Ruby was holding court in the student center. Ruby was loud, and it was hard not to miss her as she greeted everyone seated around the television. Emma was just trying to grab something from the vending machines to take back to her dorm, but Ruby had a radar for people who were too drawn into themselves.

"Hey," Ruby had greeted her as she sidled up to the machine next to Emma's. "I've seen you around a little, but we haven't actually met yet. I'm Ruby."

"Emma," Emma introduced herself, in the most abrupt way she could without being outright rude.

"You seem to be kind of alone," Ruby stated bluntly, "and my friend Mary Margaret and I were just saying we wanted to invite you to grab some coffee sometime." Emma tried to smile and nodded.

"Thanks, that would be nice," she lied, assuming that this coffee date was never going to happen.

The first time she saw Mary Margaret Blanchard was when Ruby plopped down in a chair next to her in the caf three days later, and Mary Margaret sat across from her in a much more elegant manner.

"Hi, I'm Mary Margaret and I heard Ruby was very rude to you last Thursday," Mary Margaret laughed as she started picking at the salad in front of her. Emma stared at them, not sure how to deal with this new development.

While Emma Swan doesn't have time for useless relationships, it didn't take her long to realize that not all relationships were useless. Sometimes, friendships could help you grow and be better. So after a few meals and a weekend spent watching trashy tv and avoiding homework together, Emma realized she had kind of made friends.

"I like you. I'm glad we hang out," Ruby announced to her one afternoon. Emma decided she felt the same way.

The fourth time she saw Killian Jones, she was sitting with her friends in the library. Killian was walking towards the printers, but stopped when he came to their table.

"Good evening, m'lady," he tipped his imaginary hat to Emma. "Fancy seeing you away from your dorm building."

"Hi, Killian," Emma said quietly, barely refraining from rolling her eyes at his overly cocky manner and looking back down at her textbook.

"Thanks for remembering," he remarked and looked to Ruby and Mary Margaret. "And you must be the fair Emma's friends. Killian Jones," he introduced himself, shaking both of their hands.

"It was nice seeing you," Emma said after the introductions were done, an obvious dismissal.

Killian smirked. "Sure. I'll leave you to your work. But I'll probably see you around sometime, yeah? It's our thing now."

"Yeah. See you around," Emma agreed, as Killian waved goodbye and continued to his original destination. Emma watched him leave, then turned to find her friends gaping at her.

"Yeah, so fun question. Since when are you on a first name basis with Killian Jones?" Ruby asked after a beat.

"Since I walked up on him arguing with his girlfriend in the hallway. Twice," Emma shrugged, turning the page of her book.

"Killian and Milah are arguing?" Mary Margaret asked concernedly while Ruby squealed, "And you managed to exchange names in these scenarios?"

"Well, no," Emma answered Ruby first, "he introduced himself in the parking lot a few days ago after recognizing me from the hallway. And how do you two know these people? I've never seen either of them until last Friday. Why do we care if they're fighting?"

"You are so in your little Emma bubble sometimes that I am concerned for you," Ruby scoffed.

"Killian and Milah are kind of a golden couple around campus. They've been together since Milah left her high school boyfriend for Killian their freshman year," Mary Margaret explained. "Killian's band always performs at the CAB's Open Mic Nights. And Milah is a TA in the sociology department."

Emma stared at her blankly. "How do you know these things?"

"I just thought you may know them from those descriptions," Mary Margaret shrugged and sat back as Ruby leaned in conspiratorially.

"So Milah and Killian are fighting? This is an interesting development."

Emma rolled her eyes. "I am not having this conversation with you. I'm not here to gossip, I need to study, and you do too." Mary Margaret grinned at her over her education book as Ruby huffed indignantly.

"Fine. But after I pass this test on Tuesday, I need a girl's night where you tell me everything you know."

"Not likely," Mary Margaret hummed as they all returned to their books.

The fifth time she saw Killian Jones, he winked at her as they started walking in sync towards her dorm building.

"So, here to see your girlfriend again?" Emma asked as they walked up the steps together.

"Something like that," Killian said, scratching behind his ear. "Is that your room?"

"Yes," Emma said, continuing to the next door as Killian stopped outside 227. "But _you_ don't live in this building."

"No," Killian agreed, pausing before he knocked on the door. "Just here for a chat."

"Well. Good luck," Emma said sincerely, unlocking her door and throwing him a small smile before she stepped into her room. As she shut the door behind her and flipped on a light, she heard murmurs in the hall before a door closed.

Emma didn't take the time for useless relationships, but for the first time in the two years since Neal left her, she found herself wondering if her definition of "useless" might need some adjusting. She also found herself wishing for Killian's sake that this chat wouldn't be a long one.


	3. Chapter 3

Emma was not _trying_ to hear gossip about Killian and Milah. Yet for the next week, anytime she sat down around campus, someone within her earshot was saying something about the couple. It appeared that the private chats in the dorm building had started becoming less private as campus life was soon buzzing with different rumors about the couple's imminent demise.

Milah was too controlling.

Killian was insensitive.

Milah wanted to get married after they graduated, but Killian wanted to travel the world.

Killian wanted to get married after they graduated, but Milah never wanted to settle down after the boring structure of her high school relationship.

Ruby and Emma had been sitting in the cafeteria when they overheard that Killian wanted to drop out and sail to Fiji without Milah. Emma rolled her eyes and started digging into her pasta. Ruby watched Emma warily, before quietly saying, "I heard he wanted to go to Hollywood and become an actor."

"People suck. These rumors aren't even that original." Emma stated sourly, taking another bite of pasta.

"It seems weird that this has become such a big deal this week. Have you seen Killian recently?" Ruby asked. Emma shook her head.

"No," she lied. "He's been MIA."

* * *

To be clear, it wasn't that Emma didn't trust Ruby. But, honestly, Emma didn't feel like it was anyone's business what type of interaction she and Killian had. He was already the campus gossip fodder. She was not going to jump on that train.

She had run into Killian at a coffee cart the morning after Killian's late night chat with Milah.

"Good morning, Emma," he had said cheerily as he took his coffee from the barista. "Nice to see you so soon."

"Morning, Killian," Emma said less cheerfully, because it was still before 8:00 AM.

"How was your evening?" He'd asked, moving aside to put some cream and sugar in his coffee.

"Pretty boring. I just studied in bed," Emma said as she paid for her coffee. She paused, studiously looking at her coffee, before asking, "How was your night?"

If Emma had been watching Killian rather than paying such close attention to her coffee, she would've noticed the way his grin slightly drooped, the enthusiasm he'd shown a moment before wavering. He rallied quickly though, and made a non committal sound before shrugging.

"I suppose a little more exciting than yours, as that does sound quite boring," he started, and when Emma had finally looked up to make eye contact with him again, he had completely recovered from his slip. "But I have nothing exciting to report, either. Milah and I talked for awhile, and then I fell asleep in my own dorm, with only Netflix for company."

"I get the vibe that you don't have quiet nights in by yourself very often," Emma replied drily. Killian smirked, and wiggled his eyebrows in an overly ridiculous manner.

"Can't disagree with that, love," he said with a wink over Emma's laughter.

"Please never make that face at me again," she said, shouldering her bag and turning towards the walkway. Killian followed her and they fell in step together.

"I'll have you know that many a woman have swooned at that devilishly handsome face," Killian joked. Emma shook her head.

"Oh, I'm so sure," she scoffed.

"Maybe you have no heart, and are therefore immune. Or maybe on the inside you're swooning, and you're just hiding it behind that cold facade," Killian challenged. "Maybe you simply can't handle it."

To be honest, Emma wasn't sure how she felt about his statement. First of all, she could not deny that Killian Jones was devilishly handsome. If she left it at just his dark hair and his accent, she'd have to agree he was an attractive man, but once she added the blue eyes and bright smile, "attractive" seemed too passive a word. However, Killian Jones was a devilishly handsome man who had a serious girlfriend. They may be fighting, but she was no fool. They were very much still together.

"Or maybe," Emma tried to gather her thoughts quickly, "you looked ridiculous and deserved to have a woman laugh in your face to teach you a lesson and deflate that head of yours a bit." Killian cracked a smile.

"You're a tough lass," he laughed.

"Yeah. So I've been told," Emma smirked. "Besides. You're what, 22?"

"Aye," Killian agreed.

"And you've been with Milah for what, three years?" Emma continued.

"Three and a half," Killian agreed, sobering a bit. Emma noted that, but pressed on.

"So you've been with Milah since you were 18, and you really don't strike me as the type of guy to try and pick up women while you're in a relationship. Which means you're bragging about your game in high school," Emma quirked an eyebrow.

"Well, you caught me out," he agreed, smiling. "But I'll have you know, I was unstoppable once I got my braces off. You couldn't keep the girls away from me after a basketball game."

"You just keep reliving the glory days," Emma laughed.

"Those weren't the glory days. I didn't peak in high school," Killian said indignantly.

"No, I wouldn't think so," Emma agreed.

* * *

As Emma and Ruby left the cafeteria, Ruby pulled out her phone, ostensibly to check her unread messages. Emma busied herself with her jacket, walking ahead and therefore not noticing the look of shock that crossed Ruby's face.

"Emma!" she hissed, rushing to catch back up with Emma who was now several feet ahead.

"What?" Emma asked, slightly annoyed at Ruby's tone. Ruby thrust her phone into Emma's face. "Okay, what am I looking at? Oh. I see." Emma took the phone, and stared at the words displayed on the screen.

 _Milah Runser is now listed as single._

"Oh boy," Emma breathed out quietly.

"Too bad Killian isn't on social media. My vote is that he's leaving for Fiji," Ruby said, taking the phone back from Emma.

* * *

As Emma started unlocking her door 20 minutes later, she was surprised by how sad she felt for Killian by the news that he and Milah had broken up.

" _Three and a half years_ ", she thought as she closed her door behind her. " _That's… a really long time_." She quickly threw her bag on the floor and collapsed across the bed.

"You have a message," her roommate said, looking up from the books spread across her bed.

"Oh yeah?" Emma asked, lifting her head up to look at Ashley.

"Yes," Ashley started shuffling through some papers before handing Emma a piece of paper.

"Wow, this is an actual handwritten message," Emma took it, rolling over to look at the unfamiliar writing.

 _See you at the coffee cart in the morning? -KJ_

"Yeah, it was taped to our door when I got back from my 4:00," Ashley said. "Who is KJ?"

Emma paused. "This guy I met a couple weeks ago."

"Oooooh," Ashley quirked an eyebrow, "well that is an interesting development."

"It is really not like that," Emma sighed.

"Okay," Ashley said in a tone of disbelief, "I'll leave it alone. Have fun at the coffee cart in the morning. You're going to go, right?"

Emma made a noncommittal noise, and started heaving her body off the bed, reaching for her bag. "Maybe. I've gotta get coffee somewhere, right?"

"Yes, you do," Ashley affirmed, looking back at her books. "I'll really leave you alone now. Have you finished your paper yet?"

"No, but I'm almost done." Emma said, busying herself with her bag and solidly pushing Killian and Milah and their relationship status and the coffee cart out of her mind for the night. She'd just think about it again in the morning.


	4. Chapter 4

Emma didn't sleep well that night. She was able to get her paper written, but when she tried to fall asleep, all she could think of was waking up in six hours to get coffee.

With Killian.

Who was now single.

Ashley had stayed true to her word and hadn't asked Emma any more questions that night, but Emma was starting to wish she had processed through her feelings rather than shut her roommate out. Emma had known the first time she saw Killian he was an attractive guy, because she had eyes. Every time they had interacted, she left with a new and different impression of him. At first, he was just the handsome guy in the hallway. Then, he was kind of cocky, and pompous, yet still a gentleman. He was funny, and easy to talk to, but kind of sad, if you really looked at him. After the "Neal Incident", Emma had made a manifesto of what she would and would not do for a man. The first thing Emma had established was that Emma Swan did not need a man. She was totally fine on her own. No man would ever bring purpose and meaning to her life. The second thing Emma had established was that if there seemed to be a red flag waving in front of a guy, that meant trouble and she should proceed with extreme caution. Being in a serious relationship with another woman was definitely a red flag. Occasional banter when they saw each other around campus was one thing, but Emma had been refusing to think of Killian as even a _potential_ significant person in her life.

Frankly, the fact that Killian had just broken up with his girlfriend of 3.5 years less than 24 hours ago was still a red flag. Emma sighed and rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. She was definitely overthinking it. Killian had _loved_ Milah. What he needed right now was an ally.

Someone to banter with. Someone to distract him from the fact that everyone on campus knew more about his love life than was truly healthy. Emma could handle that.

* * *

7:00 came too early. Emma groaned as her phone went off, but only hit snooze once before getting up for the day. Her hair was still damp as she made her way outside, but at least she was not showing up to her first class in pajamas. As the coffee cart came in sight, Emma looked around and realized Killian wasn't there. After a quick check of her watch, Emma decided to just get in line, because she really did need coffee, and if she waited much longer she would be late to class. She ordered her drink, but there was still no Killian. She very slowly added cream and sugar, but still no Killian. She had just given up and turned towards her building when she heard someone call her name behind her. Whirling around, she saw Killian jogging towards her.

"I'm so sorry, lass," he panted. "I had almost reached the cart, but realized I had left my cell phone and had to turn back to retrieve it."

"It's not a big deal," Emma shrugged, "I figured you'd maybe slept in or were running late."

"Well, I wake up with the birds," Killian admitted. "My brother used to wake me up at 5:30 every morning to make sure that I was thoroughly washed for the day, had time to make my lunch, and pack my school bag before the bus picked me up, and it's a habit I never grew out of."

"Yikes, that actually sounds terrible," Emma exhaled, and took a sip of her coffee because she needed it after just _hearing_ the words, "5:30 every morning."

"Not a morning person?" Killian chuckled, and Emma shook her head fiercely. "Well, no matter. We're all our own person, that's what makes the world so interesting."

"Well said," Emma agreed, and tipped her cup at him as a toast.

"I've had all morning to think of it while you slept," Killlian quipped. "I understand I'm too late for coffee, but can I still walk with you to class?"

"Yeah, I guess," Emma said, spinning on her heel and walking towards the building again. Killian fell in step beside her, and they fell into an easy conversation as they made their way inside. Neither brought up the obvious subject of Milah, but Emma got the vibe that Killian preferred it that way.

"This is me," Emma said as they neared her classroom.

"It was nice to see you this morning, Emma," Killian said, turning to give her a mock bow.

"Likewise, Jones," Emma smirked.

"You know, I realized last night that I don't know your last name."

"Really?" Emma was surprised. It seemed like they knew each other well enough for him to know her full name.

"Really. You'll have to tell it to me next time we see each other," he said as he walked backwards towards his own classroom, waving before he turned a corner.

"Sure," she agreed, but he was already too far away to really hear her.

* * *

The next morning, Killian was in line at the coffee cart as Emma walked down the sidewalk.

"What's that?" he called, gesturing towards her hand.

"Coffee. In a to go cup." Emma sassed, holding it up so he could see more clearly.

"Do you make coffee in your dorm room?" Killian squinted at the cup as she walked closer, as if he couldn't understand why she would do such a thing.

"Yes," Emma said testily, "when I don't feel like paying $3 for a cup of coffee.

"Fair point," Killian acquiesced. "But enough about coffee. I have you here, now, and I figure it's time I learn your last name, if you feel as though the stranger danger has passed from our first meeting."

"It's Swan," Emma rolled her eyes at his sarcasm. "Emma Swan."

"Swan? I like it." Killian grinned. "It suits you. That explains your swan necklace."

Emma briefly touched the necklace. She had almost forgotten it was there. "Yeah," she said after a brief pause. "It was a gift from someone a few years ago." Killian looked at her, obviously expecting more from her, unsatisfied with the vague answer. Emma wasn't going to give it to him.

"Ah. Illuminating," he said after a beat, but it was just as he stepped up to the counter to get his drink, so Emma had to splutter indignantly and wait for his attention to return to her before she could ask him what he meant by that.

"Well, Swan," Killian smirked, "You're something of an open book. You grabbed that necklace like it was a lifeline. The person who gave it to you was obviously important to you, but out of your life, and probably hurt you when they left. You wear it as a reminder for something, although I'll give you that I haven't puzzled that out yet."

Emma stared at him, shocked. "You're not wrong."

"I know," he quipped. "But you're more than that, Emma Swan. Don't let a person from your past keep you from living in your present."

"Wise advice…" Emma started to snap, before pulling back. Killian shot her a penetrating look, expecting more. "Sorry. That actually is good advice," she sighed. "It's just… not something I want to talk about this early in the morning."

"Fair enough, Swan, and you've been very obliging with me so I am happy to move on. Did you do anything interesting since we last talked?"

They fell in step as Emma told Killian how Mary Margaret had gotten her hooked on a new show this week, and she had put off writing a paper for 3 hours binge watching before Ashley had finally thrown a pillow at her to get her to focus.

"I find myself watching more and more Netflix recently," Killian laughed as Emma finished her story. "Keeps me from…" he drifted off for a second. "Well, you know."

Emma wasn't sure what to say for a second. "I get the vibe that you're not used to quiet nights in by yourself very often," she remarked after a pause, looking at Killian to see if she said the right thing.

"Ha! Too right," Killian laughed, and she breathed out in relief.

"So what have you been binge watching?" she asked as they neared the spot where they went in different directions.

"To you promise not to judge, Swan?" Killian asked, scratching behind his ear.

"Sure," Emma lifted her eyebrow, intrigued.

"Fixer Upper," he confessed, as Emma struggled to not laugh.

"You're kidding?" she finally managed.

"It's very satisfying to see the progress throughout an episode," he said indignantly.

"It's very something" Emma agreed. "Well, I never would have guessed that, but now I'll have to watch an episode tonight after I finish Mary Margaret's suggestion."

"Do that, and make sure you let me know what you think," Killian smirked.

* * *

Emma shut the lid of her laptop, growling in frustration.

"What's up, Emma?" Ruby asked, taking out an earbud as she looked at her friend.

"I've just watched three freaking episodes of Fixer Upper and I have a paper to write," Emma grumbled, closing her eyes and tipping her head back.

"Okay, you weirdo, then write the paper."

"Bite me. And pass me those chips," Emma sighed. She was in for another late night of paper writing.


	5. Chapter 5

When Emma arrived at the coffee cart the next morning, she was bleary eyed, in her sweatpants, and ordered the largest coffee cup they had.

"Swan, you look like death. Did you come here directly after rolling out of bed?" Killian laughed at her as they started their trek towards the classrooms.

"No. I brushed my teeth first," Emma muttered indignantly, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Well thank God for that, at least," Killian chuckled, taking a sip of his own drink. "Late night last night?" Emma eyed him warily. She really didn't want him to know how much Fixer Upper she had watched the night before.

"My roommate and I both stayed up late writing papers," Emma admitted, "and I think I'll have to stay up late again tonight."

"What classes have you working so hard?" Killian asked.

"Well, last night it was for my research methods class," Emma said, "and tonight I have a ton of reading in my analysis class."

"That sounds intimidating," Killian murmured, adjusting his coffee cup to pull his ringing phone out of his pocket.

"If you think that's intimidating, wait until I show you the research paper that goes with the reading." Emma replied drily, but paused when she saw the grimace on his face as he looked down. Milah's face was splashed across his screen. "Do you need to get that?"

"No… no, I think I'd rather not," he said delicately, switching off the ringer. They walked in silence into the building, Emma not knowing what to say, Killian deep in thought. They separated with small nods to each other, and Emma struggled to focus during class, her mind continuing to drift towards Milah, and Killian, and asking the question, _why_ would Milah be calling Killian at 7:45 in the morning?

* * *

Emma was trying to read in her dorm that night, but realized quickly that the urge to watch Netflix was too great.

 _Emma: Are you in the library?_

 _Mary Margaret: No, I'm in the student center. I could be convinced to go to the library, though, with the appropriate snacks._

 _Emma: All I have are twizzlers._

 _Mary Margaret: No way._

Emma rolled her eyes. She started to throw things into her school bag anyway, because she knew Mary Margaret well enough to know that eventually, she'd still meet her in the library.

She shouldered her bag and started to reach for her door, when she paused, hand on the doorknob, realizing a conversation was taking place in the hallway.

"- I just don't understand, Killian. Why aren't you accepting my calls?" Milah's muffled voice came through the door.

"Is that what your emergency text meant? For Christ's sake, Milah…" Killian's voice came through. Emma drew her hand back, heart pounding. _I shouldn't be listening to this_ , she thought.

"What do you want me to do? You're ignoring me, I had to do something."

"Milah, we broke up. For a lot of really good reasons," Killian said. "We were both unhappy-"

"Don't tell me how I was feeling. I want to work through this, Kil, I want to make this work." Emma felt her heart drop to her stomach. _I_ really _shouldn't be listening to this_.

"Milah," Killlian said gently, "I told you. I'm done. I'm tired. You admitted you were, as well."

"I just don't think I was really thinking it through. I love you. You love me. We can make it work."

"No, Milah. I care about you, obviously…" there was a pause. "Are you sure that you really want to be having this conversation in the hallway?"

"Do you want to come inside?" Milah asked.

"No," came the resounding, cold answer. "I think it would be best if we stayed in public spaces."

"Are you afraid of the temptation?"

"How many times do you need me to remind you that we broke up, and that we have no business being in each other's bedrooms?" Killian asked impatiently.

"Fine. You're so old fashioned, Killian, I swear…" Milah trailed off. A door slammed, and Emma heard footsteps going down the hallway. She flipped around and pressed her back against her door, running a hand through her hair, trying to slow down her racing heart.

Emma Swan had a dating manifesto. She did not think about dating guys that had a lot of red flags. Killian Jones had a pretty serious mark against him, in the form of a serious ex-girlfriend. But overhearing that conversation had shed some light on how _well_ Killian was handling this breakup.

"What do you do now?" she sighed, pulling out her phone. She had to wait at least a few minutes to leave to avoid running into Milah and Killian downstairs.

 _Emma: Are you still in the student center?_

 _Mary Margaret: Yes, but I'm going to pack up and meet you in the library. Don't bother with the twizzlers._

 _Emma: Okay, princess. I'll be a few minutes later than I thought, see you there in 10 minutes._

When Emma left her dorm, it was hard not to miss Milah sitting up on the back of a bench in the commons, legs swinging in front of her, and Killian standing facing her, arms crossed, tension radiating from his body. His eyes flicked up as she opened the door of the building, and they locked gazes. He grimaced and gave her a slight nod. Milah's head whipped around, looking at her through narrowed eyes.

 _Everything about this is awkward_ , Emma thought as she returned Killian's nod, steadfastly ignoring Milah's gaze. She turned on a path leading away from them, and waited 13 steps before she took out her phone to fake text, just in case they were still watching.

* * *

Emma didn't see Killian for two days after that night. But on day three, he was waiting for her at the coffee cart, two large cups in his hand.

"Do you know how I take my coffee?" she asked as she approached him.

"One cream one sugar?" he checked as he handed her the appropriate cup. Emma nodded, accepting the gift.

"I'm impressed," she said as they fell in step together.

"I'm always a gentleman, and a bit old fashioned at that." Killian grinned, lifting a corner of his mouth. Emma immediately thought of what she'd heard Milah say to him in the hallway.

" _You're so old fashioned"..._

"That's not a bad thing," Emma said thoughtfully, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Well, some disagree," Killian shrugged. "Speaking of which… I know you saw Milah and I- ah, _conversing-_ outside your dorm the other day."

"Yes, I did," Emma nodded.

Killian inhaled sharply. "I'm sorry, lass. That is an uncomfortable situation. I just want to be clear, though. Milah and I are very much broken up."

"Well... how long have you really been broken up?" Emma probed.

"A week," Killian answered truthfully, "but I just want to be clear. We're broken up, and we're not getting back together."

Emma wasn't sure when this happened, but she and Killian had stopped walking and were now facing each other. Emma looked down, studying her coffee cup.

"Are you okay?" she asked him after a few moments of silence.

"I'm very okay. And I don't want you to wonder about that," he said seriously.

"Thanks," Emma looked up. "I… _was_ wondering. In the least creepy and invasive way a person could wonder."

"Understood," Killian chuckled. "If we took a break from our coffee cart for a few weeks, would you be offended?" Emma looked at him intently.

"As long as you let me know when you're ready to meet up again," she said slowly.

Killian's answering smile was the biggest she'd seen all morning. "I appreciate that, Swan. I just think I need a little time to think some things through. Take a step back."

"I know," Emma said.

"But you should know, I'll think of you everyday."

"...Good."


	6. Chapter 6

"Okay, you're going to need to explain this one more time. He said what?" Mary Margaret asked as she furrowed her eyebrows together. Emma sighed as she speared some more chicken onto her fork.

"He said, 'I'm very much broken up with Milah, but I might need a break from our coffee cart dates while I sort myself out,'" Emma quoted, "...basically. It all kind of runs together, you know what my brain is like before 8 AM."

Ruby snorted into her salad. "Sorry, not appropriate," she murmured after Mary Margaret glared at her.

"I don't understand. Why would he need to take a break from getting coffee with you?" Mary Margaret shook her head.

"Well, he obviously likes Emma," Ruby shrugged, "and he wants to do things right by her. If you want to start a healthy relationship, it's probably not a great idea to start it a week after breaking out of a six year relationship with someone else."

"Woah, it's three and a half," Emma said defensively, throwing her straw wrapper across the table at Ruby.

"Fine, fine. That's forever when he's only, what? 20?"

"22," Emma said sourly, not appreciating Ruby's exaggerations.

"So what, are you guys just going to avoid each other now?" Mary Margaret asked, looking between Ruby and Emma.

"No, of course we won't _avoid_ each other," Emma mused. "I think we'll just… not go out of our way to see each other."

"And you're ok with that?" Mary Margaret pressed.

Emma took a second to think of how she wanted to answer. She had been thinking about Killian's request a lot that day. "I mean… I wouldn't say I'm really excited about it," she finally said, setting her fork down. "But I'm fine. I don't want any drama."

"Will you finally admit you like Killian?" Ruby asked her. Emma glared at her.

"Killian's a nice guy."

"With a great ass." Ruby smirked. Emma nodded.

"Agreed. That doesn't mean I want to date him."

"But you _do_ want to date him," Ruby pressed.

"Ruby, I think you need to back off," Mary Margaret said, looking at Emma's face.

"No, it's fine," Emma said, trying to keep her face as neutral as possible. "Ruby can think whatever she wants. We're all entitled to have wrong opinions every once and awhile."

"You want to date him, you just don't want to date him right _now_. He's got too much baggage to deal with," Ruby said sagely, her eyes boring into Emma's. Emma broke eye contact first, and refused to answer, fixating on the plate in front of her.

"Oh, Emma," Mary Margaret sighed. "Not every guy is Neal."

"I know that," Emma replied fiercely.

After a pause, Ruby thoughtfully added, "I think the fact Killian is taking a step back may prove just how unlike Neal he really is."

"Yeah." Emma replied shortly. "Well… it doesn't matter, does it? We're not seeing each other right now. We're just… doing our own thing. It's fine."

Mary Margaret looked doubtful, but Ruby was outright shaking her head.

"Emma, it's okay to be upset about it-"

"I'M NOT-" Emma started loudly, before lowering her voice. "I'm not upset. Wait," she shook her head, "I obviously am, but it's you two. You guys are making me upset." Emma stood up and picked up her plate. "I appreciate what you're doing, but I just want to move on. There's not really anything I can do or say at this point."

"Emma, we're sorry," Mary Margaret said earnestly. Emma nodded.

"It's fine," she said again, before realizing she'd said "fine" a few too many times. "I'm just going to go get ahead on some reading. I'll text you later."

Emma did all of her homework and went to bed early, and found herself awake before her alarm the next morning. _I am too young to be turning into a responsible adult,_ she thought to herself as she debated what to do with her extra time.

She spent a luxurious amount of time in the shower, and was out the door and down the hall before she considered if she should stop at the coffee cart. _Don't overthink it. Just do what you would normally do._ She thought to herself, and walked three more steps before spinning around and walking back to her room. Maybe making some coffee herself wouldn't be a bad idea for the next couple of days.

* * *

As the days passed, Emma didn't see a lot of Killian. She kept making coffee in her room, and they didn't have any classes together. As November approached, the buzz around campus shifted focus from Killian and Milah's break up to the upcoming Black and White Night. A yearly tradition since 2004, the CAB would rent out a room at a restaurant and people would attend the dinner dressed completely in black and white. It was usually one of the major events of the year, and it always seemed to turn the campus into the Bachelor in Paradise house, with everyone rushing to get dates. Emma and Ruby always made bets on which Black and White Night couple would make it a week past the event. Usually, the answer was none.

Mary Margaret was president of the Campus Activities Board, and was therefore in charge of pulling off Black and White Night. Emma had started eating lunch in the library, to avoid the rest of the CAB members who had now descended onto their usual table, discussing invitations and sign ups. Mary Margaret would often text her during lunch now, begging to come join. Unfortunately, wherever Mary Margaret went, her minions trailed behind. Emma had cautioned Mary Margaret to consider donning a disguise to make it through the next two weeks.

The silver lining to this event was that Mary Margaret had managed to find a date that exceeded Emma and Ruby's expectations, given the type of hook ups that usually formed this time of year. David Nolan was a sweet guy, and seemed to be crazy about Mary Margaret. They hadn't gotten off to a great start, with Mary Margaret and David bickering in the back of a classroom after Mary Margaret spilled her latte over David's textbook when he'd knocked into her desk. They whispered obscenities at each other while each claimed that they were the injured party, but once the textbook had been dried out and the dust had settled, Mary Margaret and David realized they quite liked each other. He had asked her to dinner, and she had said yes.

A Monday night found Emma, Mary Margaret, and Ashley hidden in a back corner of the library, avoiding Mary Margaret's fan club, working on homework. As Emma was working, a message popped up in the corner of her screen.

 _Leroy: Emma, do you want to go to Black and White night with Walsh?_

"Ooooooh no," Emma groaned, running her hands through her hair as she read the message again.

"What is it?" Ashley looked up. Emma grimaced and flipped her computer around, showing Ashley and Mary Margaret the message.

"Yeah, that's creepy," Ashley laughed, as Mary Margaret made a face. "Are you going to go with him?"

"Obviously not," Emma muttered, flipping the computer back around. "He's getting the campus gossip to ask me? No, thank you." She hastily typed out a reply.

 _Emma: Go away, Leroy, before I hurt you. Who gave you this number?_

Emma had nearly forgotten about the exchange before she was walking out of the library an hour later and ran into the man in question, Walsh Gorham, himself.

"Emma, hi," he smiled warmly, and nodded at her. Emma froze, unsure if she should mention the message from earlier.

"Hi, Walsh. How… how are you?" she asked, deciding avoidance was best in this scenario.

"I'm fine," he shrugged. "Listen, I'm sorry about Leroy earlier." Emma nodded, now completely caught in the uncomfortable situation. "Just so you know, I didn't ask him to message you like that. I just… you know, we have some classes together, and I think you're a pretty cool girl. I _had_ thought of asking you myself, but of course Leroy had to jump in before I could ask you."

"It's fine, Walsh," Emma hurried to say before Walsh could continue. "It's just, I'm really not interested in going to Black and White night with anyone this year, and I'm really not-"

"Isn't your best friend hosting it, though?" Walsh asked, smiling as he quirked an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah-" Emma said lamely.

"Were you just going to go alone?"

The thing was, Emma had been avoiding thinking about the event at all. There wasn't anyone she really wanted to go with, except maybe-

But Emma put a stop to that train of thought immediately.

"Ruby is going sans date, I think," Emma shrugged nonchalantly. "I figured we could just hang out with each other."

"I thought Ruby is going with Victor Whale?" Walsh asked.

"Is she?" Emma forced a laugh, trying to sound casual. "Well, then I guess... yeah, I was going alone."

"Emma," Walsh laughed condescendingly, "that's what I'm trying to say. You don't have to go alone. Come with me, and I'll pay for your dinner. It will be an easy, fun night."

"No, that's really okay, I would prefer to go alone," Emma frowned, ready to move on.

"Emma, really-" Walsh tried to press.

"Thank you, but I think I'll pass," Emma said coolly. Hiking her bag over her shoulder, she brushed past Walsh before he could ask again, barrelling out the building towards the dorm rooms. She whipped out her phone to text Ruby.

 _Emma: Ruby, are you going to b &w night with anyone?_

 _Ruby: Just you, toots. Why, what's up?_

 _Ruby: WAIT DID KILLIAN JUST ASK YOU?_

Emma huffed, pulling her bag open, figuring she could ignore Ruby's question until she reached her room again. "What a creep," she muttered, switching out her phone for the beanie she kept in the bag's side pocket.

"Talking to yourself, love?" a familiar voice asked from in front of her. Emma looked up sharply, and there he stood. Killian Jones, MIA for the past four weeks, was standing in front of her, looking sinfully handsome in his jacket and scarf.

"No, just, um-" Emma stuttered as she jammed her hat on her head, trying not to seem flustered, "there was this guy who was talking to me in the library. It's nothing, it's fine," she tried to wave it off, but Killian's look darkened.

"Someone trying to bother you, Swan?" he asked ominously.

"Not really, this guy was just trying to…" Emma paused, debating if she really wanted to tell Killian about Walsh. "Well, he wanted to go to black and white night with me, and didn't really accept my answer until I walked out on him."

"That's bad form on his part," Killian murmured, glancing at the library behind her.

"Yeah, well, I can take care of myself," Emma crossed her arms, ready to end this second awkward encounter of the night.

"Of course you can. You're a tough lass, the toughest I know," Killian's dark demeanor seemed to lift a little as he smiled at Emma. "Still, a man should know how to respect a lady's wishes."

"I guess this one is still a boy, then," Emma sighed, grimacing.

"I guess he is. Pity for him."

"At least I'm still safe from the curse of a black and white night date." Emma tried to joke, unfolding her arms to readjust her bag.

Killian laughed. "Would a date be so bad?"

"To black and white night, with Walsh? Yes," Emma muttered darkly.

"Walsh Gorham?" Killian asked, "Ah, yes, I had heard him say he wanted to ask you." Emma's cheeks darkened. "Can't say I'm disappointed that you told him no."

"Like I said… he's a creep," Emma said after pausing to make sure her voice didn't tremor. "Anyway, it's cold and I need to-"

"Ah, yes, of course, so rude of me to keep you out here," Killian sprang aside, motioning for Emma to move past him. "It's been awhile since we bumped into each other, I was just enjoying getting to speak with you."

"Yeah, it's been a few weeks," Emma agreed, starting to shuffle, walking backwards so she could still see Killian's face. "Are you… doing alright?"

Killian's face broke into a smile, "Aye, love. I'm doing well."

"Good," Emma said, and smiled back without realizing what she was doing. "I'll see you around, then, Jones."

"I'll see you," Killian agreed, and they waved at each other as they headed their separate ways.


End file.
